Learning plant skills will benefit parish

Learning the skills to operate plant equipment should certainly benefit high school seniors in St. Charles Parish. And it should help keep many of them at home when they get permanent jobs in the future.

That is what a coalition of local industry will provide in sponsoring PTEC 101. It will jump start their careers in process technology.

The five-day a week course will give students an overview of personnel and environmental safety, workplace equipment, job responsibilities and other subjects important to a plant operator and worker. In addition, the course will provide college credits.

The course is sponsored by Dow, Motiva, Shell and Valero, familiar names in St. Charles, which businesses should definitely benefit from the program. Itís another step forward in the educational opportunities of the parish.

Deadly area needs correction

Another life has been taken along that dangerous section of Airline Highway in St. Charles Parish where cars have plunged into the adjacent canal with water deep enough to trap passengers inside. It is time for action.

Many have asked for a barricade that would prevent cars from taking the plunge. Some highway officials have insisted that such a barricade would interfere with rescue operations when accidents occur. Rescue operations in the past, however, have not been too successful with no barricade there.

Whatever the solution, it needs to be forthcoming and soon. Otherwise, the tragedies will continue to increase.